I have captained a bunch of USTA teams, learned all I could about NTRP and understand your situation, as I have had players in similar situations. I have several comments:

1. In the Southen Section, the only matches that count toward your year-end rating are spring USTA league matches, including related post-season play. Mixed, Combo, Summer Singles and Tournament matches do not count toward year-end ratings.

2. You should play only 3.5 (not 3.0) spring USTA league matches in order to increase your chances of being bumped up, but you can play any tournaments or any level the USTA will let you play during the other seasons. Therefore, you could challenge yourself by playing both 6.5 and 7.5 combo doubles (but my local regs would allow a 3.0 to play with a 4.0, not a 4.5, in a 7.5 league; I have no idea about what your local regs would allow).

3. A benchmark rating means you participated in at least one match of post-season play, whether in local playoffs, at State, or beyond. I understand that it appears to be a "benchmark against" your rating because it is preventing you from doing what you want to do, but it is really a benchmark rating (as opposed to a computer rating, for example). The word "against" doesn't belong in the term.

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What about the current winter season? Does it not count towards NTRP in Southern?

3.5 is a strange middle ground. You feel like you're better than most beginners, but you're not quite yet a journeyman. There are many 3.5s who start off as 3.0s, wanting to be 4.0s. So they'd like to skip over 3.5 altogether.

Then again, I know many 3.5s who like it there and want to stay.

To each their own, I guess.

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3.5 wasn't that strange to me- most 3.5s are better than most 3.0s and not as good as most 4.0s. Some 3.5s are clearly out of level - some too highly rated and others are rated too low.

The is a big difference between the two 3.5s I posted about- one is better than nearly half the of 4.0 on my team. He was held back by another 3.5 with the mental game of a 2.0 - the other 3.5 who refused to play 3.5 lost more than half the matches he played at 3.5 - he is clearly a below average 3.5 .

The better 3.5 doesn't want to play with the mental dwarf, and in reality he has no business at 3.5. He is dominate at 3.5 singles, but played only doubles on a 3.5 team. The other two singles players are horrible at doubles. He was clearly the best singles player and doubles player on his former team.

So a below average 3.5 basically left a team with too few players to make the required. Just got an update. The very good 3.5 joined the team so they could at least get a few more weeks to get more players. He won't play on the team, but it gave the team a few more weeks and they got registered.

Feeling you are better than vast majority players at one's level and actually being better than the vast majority is a chasm for many players.
There are a lot of sandbagging 3.5 players and when you reach the State Champion or District Levels in most Southern States, you run into a lot of 3.5S rated players - I don't know one 3.5S that I looked at from the SC State Championship in 2013 who wasn't bumped to 4.0 or double bumped to 4.5.

My point is this- unless you are winning the vast majority of your matches at your given level by lopsided scores, do the folks above you a favor and stick to your current level. The only saving grace I find in all these people playing up is generally they play at 3 doubles. I don't think I am alone in wanting competitive matches - There is no joy in scores with bagels and breadsticks- for either player.

Maybe I am just jaded from so many 3.5s around me who want to play up at 4.0, yet some win less than half their matches at 3.5. Some flat out don't get it. Two 3.5s on a friend's 3.5 team refused to play 3.5 this spring- the team already lost one guy to a bump, two guys moved out if state and now, seven guys have no 3.5 team to play on, because two 3.5s said "I am only playing 4.0"- one of the 3.5s lost more than half of his 3.5 matches last year.

The icing on the cake was a 3.5/3.0 that somehow registered on a 4.0 team. They didn't win a set all season

There is a balance between sandbagging and playing up in levels where people don't belong - unfortunately there is a little of both going on, but far more of the latter.

My advice is to go play tournaments in Atlanta against better 3.5 players. If the competition in Macon is too weak, play against 4.0s in non USTA

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G4 apology accepted. When I first started this thread, I wanted to make it clear I am not trying to play above my ability. I am not trying to get to a 3.5 or 4.0 rating just because I can say "I am a 4.0 player because my rating says I am". Which is something some people can't admit that they are infatuated with. I am just trying to get to the level that I believe I belong at right now. I believe that I can play 3.5 singles in my area and compete and then play doubles in my area and win majority of the team. I believe that I can play 4.0 doubles with a seasoned 4.0 partner and win. I have a terrible record at state yes and I did not play my best either. But that does not mean I want to continue to play 3.0 in Middle Georgia playing against the same guy every single week. There are a lot of 3.5s around my area that should be in 3.0 and if they were it would make the 3.0 level a lot more competitive and it would get the team who goes to state used to what they will see at state. I don't see the point playing in a league with only two teams, one team beats the other team every single week of the season. Then the team goes to state and gets slaughtered by people who are a lot better.

I just wanted to know why is my rating benchmarked? when does my rating come off of being benchmarked? and how do I become a 3.5? and I believe I got my answer. Thank you everyone for responding.

What about the current winter season? Does it not count towards NTRP in Southern?

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In SC the spring season starts in Jan in Charleston and runs through April and the state Championships for 18+ and 40+ are in May. The matches played Oct - Dec are called the Fall Season for us and those matches don't count, as there are no playoffs.

Maybe some Southern states like Georgia start their season in Nov or Dec and call them Winter and finish in spring of 2014.

In SC the spring season starts in Jan in Charleston and runs through April and the state Championships for 18+ and 40+ are in May. The matches played Oct - Dec are called the Fall Season for us and those matches don't count, as there are no playoffs.

Maybe some Southern states like Georgia start their season in Nov or Dec and call them Winter and finish in spring of 2014.

My frustration came off at you and should have been directed at the 3.5 who let an entire team down at the 11th hour. The 3.5 who is too good for my friends - not.

The benchmark will come off if you don't advance to State this spring. Until then, I would do everything you can to play against the best players who will hit with you and then play some tournaments in Atlanta-

There should be should a few level 1 or 2 tournaments in Atlanta that might be a great chance to play this spring once you have hit with better players. If a level 1 Tournament is too far, try finding a level 2 tournament. Generally speaking the Level 1 tournaments will be the biggest tournaments.

When I started hitting again in 2007, I was horrible. I blew out my back in Nov 2007, three months after I picked up a frame. The back injury wasn't tennis related. I had played three matches losing all of them badly that spring. Then I waited until the fall of 2009 to play again. Two years off with only three bad losses on my record in that 24 month time. I vowed to get my life back after the back surgeries. I never cared about my rating, but I wanted to get back on the court.

I hit with anybody that would hit with me, from a 4.5 lefty friend, to feeble old men who couldn't move. I took every opportunity to play non USTA matches versus anyone who would hit. For every USTA match I played, I probably put in another 8 matches for practice. I hit on a ball machine. I hit 15 plus hours a week, then in 2010 something happened. I started winning more than losing, then I started winning quicker, then I began to crush a lot of 3.5s, except the 3.5S rated players. Then the 3.5S players started falling (except for one).

When the unbeaten 3.5S players walked off courts with their first loss, and started to question my rating, I knew I had accomplished what I wanted- not to be a 4.0, but to be the best 3.5 I could be. To put wins on the board for a Captain at singles and doubles.

Be the best 3.0B in Macon/Perry. Become the 3.0B that beats the 3.5 guys and then beat them worse.

I see 3.0 guys with this drive and they are clearly better than many 3.5. And before long they will be beating 4.0s and then they will be bumped.

I am from the middle Georgia area. When I come home sometime, maybe we can hit. If you come to Charleston, I will gladly hit with you and you can stay at my house with your wife/gf . We have guest rooms and I would actually like to apologize to you in person -

Hope my posts makes my state of mind more clear- you are trying to get better and that is very respectable.

My frustration came off at you and should have been directed at the 3.5 who let an entire team down at the 11th hour. The 3.5 who is too good for my friends - not.

The benchmark will come off if you don't advance to State this spring. Until then, I would do everything you can to play against the best players who will hit with you and then play some tournaments in Atlanta-

There should be should a few level 1 or 2 tournaments in Atlanta that might be a great chance to play this spring once you have hit with better players. If a level 1 Tournament is too far, try finding a level 2 tournament. Generally speaking the Level 1 tournaments will be the biggest tournaments.

When I started hitting again in 2007, I was horrible. I blew out my back in Nov 2007, three months after I picked up a frame. The back injury wasn't tennis related. I had played three matches losing all of them badly that spring. Then I waited until the fall of 2009 to play again. Two years off with only three bad losses on my record in that 24 month time. I vowed to get my life back after the back surgeries. I never cared about my rating, but I wanted to get back on the court.

I hit with anybody that would hit with me, from a 4.5 lefty friend, to feeble old men who couldn't move. I took every opportunity to play non USTA matches versus anyone who would hit. For every USTA match I played, I probably put in another 8 matches for practice. I hit on a ball machine. I hit 15 plus hours a week, then in 2010 something happened. I started winning more than losing, then I started winning quicker, then I began to crush a lot of 3.5s, except the 3.5S rated players. Then the 3.5S players started falling (except for one).

When the unbeaten 3.5S players walked off courts with their first loss, and started to question my rating, I knew I had accomplished what I wanted- not to be a 4.0, but to be the best 3.5 I could be. To put wins on the board for a Captain at singles and doubles.

Be the best 3.0B in Macon/Perry. Become the 3.0B that beats the 3.5 guys and then beat them worse.

I see 3.0 guys with this drive and they are clearly better than many 3.5. And before long they will be beating 4.0s and then they will be bumped.

I am from the middle Georgia area. When I come home sometime, maybe we can hit. If you come to Charleston, I will gladly hit with you and you can stay at my house with your wife/gf . We have guest rooms and I would actually like to apologize to you in person -

Hope my posts makes my state of mind more clear- you are trying to get better and that is very respectable.

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G4, not a problem. I understood where you were coming. It is frustrating to see someone talk about how they want to be a certain rating and they only have 3 wins out of 7 matches in a season at their rating.

There are a lot of people in the Middle GA area that judge a persons ability solely on the fact that they are a certain rating and I am sure it is the same everywhere. The 3.5s here all wonder why I have not been bumped because they know that I am not a 3.0 and I have let my racket prove it and not my mouth.

In SC the spring season starts in Jan in Charleston and runs through April and the state Championships for 18+ and 40+ are in May. The matches played Oct - Dec are called the Fall Season for us and those matches don't count, as there are no playoffs.

Maybe some Southern states like Georgia start their season in Nov or Dec and call them Winter and finish in spring of 2014.

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Here I am currently in:
2014 Adult 18 & Over Men Winter which runs from 1/6/14 to 3/10/14

Last year I played in:
2013 USTA Adult 18 & Over Men Winter which ran from 1/8/13 to 3/4/13
2013 USTA Adult 18 & Over Men Spring which ran from 4/2/13 to 5/14/13
2013 USTA Adult 40 & Over Men Spring which ran from 2/19/13 to 3/19/13

I also played in one 18+ and one 40+ Fall league.

So our Winter leagues here tend to start in January and end in March at least the ones I've participated in and may still be ongoing when some of the Spring leagues start, as happened to me in 2013. I'm just curious if the Winter leagues here get lumped in with Spring or if they're excluded from our NTRP calculations (which seems stupid to do but hey, it is the USTA).

My frustration came off at you and should have been directed at the 3.5 who let an entire team down at the 11th hour. The 3.5 who is too good for my friends - not.

The benchmark will come off if you don't advance to State this spring. Until then, I would do everything you can to play against the best players who will hit with you and then play some tournaments in Atlanta-

There should be should a few level 1 or 2 tournaments in Atlanta that might be a great chance to play this spring once you have hit with better players. If a level 1 Tournament is too far, try finding a level 2 tournament. Generally speaking the Level 1 tournaments will be the biggest tournaments.

When I started hitting again in 2007, I was horrible. I blew out my back in Nov 2007, three months after I picked up a frame. The back injury wasn't tennis related. I had played three matches losing all of them badly that spring. Then I waited until the fall of 2009 to play again. Two years off with only three bad losses on my record in that 24 month time. I vowed to get my life back after the back surgeries. I never cared about my rating, but I wanted to get back on the court.

I hit with anybody that would hit with me, from a 4.5 lefty friend, to feeble old men who couldn't move. I took every opportunity to play non USTA matches versus anyone who would hit. For every USTA match I played, I probably put in another 8 matches for practice. I hit on a ball machine. I hit 15 plus hours a week, then in 2010 something happened. I started winning more than losing, then I started winning quicker, then I began to crush a lot of 3.5s, except the 3.5S rated players. Then the 3.5S players started falling (except for one).

When the unbeaten 3.5S players walked off courts with their first loss, and started to question my rating, I knew I had accomplished what I wanted- not to be a 4.0, but to be the best 3.5 I could be. To put wins on the board for a Captain at singles and doubles.

Be the best 3.0B in Macon/Perry. Become the 3.0B that beats the 3.5 guys and then beat them worse.

I see 3.0 guys with this drive and they are clearly better than many 3.5. And before long they will be beating 4.0s and then they will be bumped.

I am from the middle Georgia area. When I come home sometime, maybe we can hit. If you come to Charleston, I will gladly hit with you and you can stay at my house with your wife/gf . We have guest rooms and I would actually like to apologize to you in person -

Hope my posts makes my state of mind more clear- you are trying to get better and that is very respectable.

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If any self-rated player, unbeaten or otherwise, ever questioned my rating I would literally laugh in their face.

I am on the road quite a bit- but you have an open invite for a free place to stay in Charleston-

I've never played the Banana Open in Hilton Head- when is the next one ?

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G4, the banana open is held at several different places. There is one here in Macon and then one in Perry. Playing in a local Banana Open (or wherever they are held) that is earlier in the year can get you qualified for the Banana Open at Palmetto Dunes in Hilton Head. The one in HH is in October. Pretty cool event. Been going for the past few years. A lot of players from around the Southeast attend.

Wanted to update this thread with my most recent results this past Spring league. I went 4-2 playing at the 3.5 level. I did not play at the 3.0 level. It was better that I didn't since the level of play has dropped since the last season.

Wanted to update this thread with my most recent results this past Spring league. I went 4-2 playing at the 3.5 level. I did not play at the 3.0 level. It was better that I didn't since the level of play has dropped since the last season.

Personally, I think Andrew is getting bumped up. I'm sure Schmke can run his numbers if he'd like, but IMO he is most definitely moving up.

If I were another 3.0 scouting him out for a potential match, I'd be afraid. Actually, as 3.5, I'd still be concerned. It's probably going to be tough match for me. He plays more matches than I do and may have more reliable, consistent strokes.

Personally, I think Andrew is getting bumped up. I'm sure Schmke can run his numbers if he'd like, but IMO he is most definitely moving up.

If I were another 3.0 scouting him out for a potential match, I'd be afraid. Actually, as 3.5, I'd still be concerned. It's probably going to be tough match for me. He plays more matches than I do and may have more reliable, consistent strokes.

"I went 4-2 playing at the 3.5 level. I did not play at the 3.0 level."

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Never said I wasn't a 3.0

Currently, I am a 3.0 playing a lot 3.5 level matches. I just played in the Banana Open in the Middle GA area and made it to the Men's 4.0 Doubles Final. Lost to a guy who played a lot of 4.5 but got bumped down recently and another legitimate 4.0 with a killer kick serve that no one at my level in my area possesses. My father and I lost 6-4 6-3. We had our chances to win but it just wasn't there.

:
mrfstop,
"What part of GA are you in? I'm moving to Augusta from Colorado in January and will be looking for places to play/people to hit with."

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Mishadude,

I live in the Middle Georgia area (Warner Robins/Macon). I am around 3 hours from Augusta. Augusta is Northeast of where I am. I have only been to Augusta twice and that was when state was held there. From what I gather there is a lot of tennis in that area with a lot of skilled players. Especially at the tennis facility that is close to the airport. If you can get used to it being humid year round that I think we will have fun playing tennis in Augusta

UPDATE: After 4 years of playing 3.0, the USTA finally decided to bump me up to 3.5 :razz:

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Well done. And your results do support it, I have your dynamic rating above 3.0 so agree with your early start bump. FWIW, I had you barely not being bumped at the end of 2013.

It appears you took the "play only 3.5" route and despite a poor showing in playoffs, did well enough to improve your rating with a 5-2 record in the regular season. And since you were playing 3.5, the losses in playoffs were actually not so bad and the match tie-break loss was actually a pretty good result.

I don't know why some people get an early start bump but then do not get the year end bump. I know it happens though because it happened to me last year and also to a couple of other players I know.

I got an early start bump up this year too so I'm apparently still on the edge between ratings levels but I still have to wait until year end ratings are released to see if it will stick this time.

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See Q27 on my NTRP Rating FAQ for a discussion of how this can happen. But basically either additional league matches that count, tournaments if you section includes them, or year-end benchmark calculations can cause your rating to move from what it was for the early start snapshot.

I think the goal is to improve and find challenging competition,right...
MRfStop, Looks like you have done that,....wht not...play some singles, you might even try UltimateTennis.com 4.0 or LeagueTennis.com 4.0 singles or doubles if you are looking for a new challenge since you clearly winning in 3.5 doubles.

See Q27 on my NTRP Rating FAQ for a discussion of how this can happen. But basically either additional league matches that count, tournaments if you section includes them, or year-end benchmark calculations can cause your rating to move from what it was for the early start snapshot.

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My understanding is that the early start doesn't include any benchmark ratings and that's what causes the biggest changes. I also was bumped up early start and back down end of year last year. I expect I'll be a full-time 4.0 next year. It's time.